Hand covering and method of manufacture



Aug. 24, 1937. A. c. MILLS HAND COVERING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE FiledApril 23, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l gnam/VIM wvwF/ Grtmwg 5 Aug. 24, 1937.A. C. MILLS 2,090,982

HAND COVERING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed April 23, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 HMM mfr/11mm lwnlwf Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATESLouisa?.v

PATENT OFFICE HAND COVERING AND METHOD F MANUFACTURE Allison C. Mills,Johnstown, N. Y., assigner to Scotsmoor Company, Inc., Johnstown, N. Y.

Application April 23, 1936, Serial No. 76,056

My invention consists in new and useful im- Iprovements in a seamlessknit mitten or the like and in the method ofv knitting the same, and hasfor its object to provide such an article having a tip portion which isrelatively narrower than the body or hand portion, and wherein the Wristportion is provided with a novel finished edge or welt portion.

Heretofore, various efforts have been made to knit mittens of this samegeneral type by different methods. in knitting mittens in tubular formby making the hand portion of any conventional form of jersey, single orbalbriggan stitch, and the tip portion of rib stitching with the samenumber of rows of stitches, considered circumferentially,4

as in the body portion. With this method, although the rib stitchportion has a tendency to draw in or narrow .down so as to shape themitten to a more finished appearance, such mittens have been found notentirely satisfactory because of the limited facility for shaping andthe bunchy appearance of the-rib stitch at the tip.

Another method heretofore known is to knit mittens in tubular form bymaking the lhand portion of any desired stitching such as jersey stitch,rib stitch, tucked stitch, or a combination of two o'r more stitches,the tip portion being formed or knit with one-half the number ofstitches or rows of stitches, considered circumferentially, as the handportion. In this method, the tip portion is formed 'by transferring thehand or body portion to another machine known as a tipping machine, withhalf the number of needles as compared tothe number of needles used inknitting the hand portion. Although l this latter method of forming atip portion with alesser number of stitches tends to cause the tip todraw in or contract as in the other method, it cannot be producedautomatically, and the cost of the mitten is materially increasedbecause of the necessity of using two separate ma"- chines, one for thehand portion, and one for the tip portion.

It is the object of my invention to overcome the disadvantages inherentin the methods heretofore known and to this end I have designed a methodwhich will produce automatically on a circular knitting machine ofconventional design, amitten in which`lthe tip is substantially entirelymachine fashioned by employing a type .1 of stitch which isfundamentally different from those employed in any of the types"heretofore known. i

Another object of` my invention isto produce One of these methodsconsists (Cl. Gti-174) a mitten with a narrowed tip portion which can beproduced automatically and inexpensively. and one which will present anovel' and attractive appearance and improved shape and fit when closed,over other types of narrowed fabric, seamless, tubular mittens.

A further object of my invention resides in my improved method ofknitting mittens whereby the tip portion is knitted with a stitchdifferent from the integral stit'ch` of the body portion, which greatlyfacilitates the completion or closing of the tip.

Still another object of my invention is to produce a novel welt on thewrist portion vof the mittens Land/ or gloves.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to knit mittens and gloves of this samegeneral type but it entirely machine knit by using a type of stitchAentirely different from those heretofore employed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mitten or glove with afinished edge or weltv portion which can be knit automatically andinexpensively, and one which will present a novel and `attracti'veappearance over other types of mittens or gloves knit on the open topsingle cylinder machines.

A further object of -my invention is to provid an improved method ofknitting these mittens or gloves on an open top single cylinder circularknitting machine of known type vwith one or more feeds, wherein the weltportion is knit with a stitchv different from the integral stitch ofKthe cuff portion, whereby said welt is adapted' `for easy completion bya simple hand operation,

and which will not unravel.

A still' further object of my-invention resides in my improved method ofknitting mittens or the like by which a series of successive mittens canbe knit continuously in a single blank, after which each individualmitten can be separated, and by simple hand operations, the tip and.welt ...portions of the mitten are finished. In the case ff a glove, thewelt portion is finished by a simple hand operation and the fingerportions added.

Stillanother object of my invention is to provide 'a seamless tubularknitted mitten or the like with a nished edge or welt and narrowed tipin the case of a mitten, and with a finished edge or welt in the case ofa glove, and the method of making the same which is both practical,inexpensive and simple to manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel features hereinset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings l0 and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

i Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like characterdesignate similar parts throughout the several views,

v'l5 Fig..1 is a view in side elevation showing a con- Fig. 2 is a viewin side elevation showing an Y individual blank after separation butbefore the closing or final step in completing the tip. Fig. 3 is a viewin side elevation showing a completed mitten with the closed tip andfinished edge or welt on the cuil'. Fig. 4 is an end view of the tipportion of the mitten showing the closed tip.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a section of the fabric structureat the tip`portion, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a section of the fabric structureforming the welt portion on the cuff. I In the drawings, it will benoted that each mitten is illustrated as including a wrist portion A, ahand or body portion B, and a tip portion C.

The wrist `portion A is knit with any number or type of suitablestitches, such for example as i float stitch, tucked stitch, jerseystitch, mock rib stitch, etc., the hand portion B being knit with anyconventional form or type of stitch such as a jersey stitch, tuckedstitch, float stitch, or a combination of two or more types of stitches.The tip portion C, however, is knit with a float stitch formed either byone and one float, 'or two and two float, or in fact any combination ofl iloat stitches, to render the tip portion narrower .than the integralbody portion.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 6 it will be noted that the wrist portion A isfinished with a welt W which is formed or knit with a combination of ajerse'y and aI oat stitch produced automatically by retiring from actionalternate needles or certain predetermined needles Aof the circularseries; .in such a way as to retain only one stitchor strand of yarn inthe hook of the needle while the acting needles continue to knit thenumber of courses desired.

As shown in Fig. 6, the wales of the fabric as well as the needles ofthe cylinder are indicated 'by the numerals I, 2, 3, 4, 5 and A6, theotherstitches of the fabric forming the welt portion and those directlyadjacent thereto comprising at the top portion a plain or jersey stitchindicated by D adjacent which is a section E forming the welt stitchproper. Adjacent the welt stitch proper is a, section F formed withplain or jersey stitch as in the case of section D which is followed bya section G formed'with a mock rib stitch in this particular form of, myinvention illustrated in the drawings. 'l

rIhis welt portion W is formed 4automatically on the edge or open end ofthe wrist of the .mitten by having a stitch on every needle of themachine in the circular series at this-point of certain needlespreviously` determined, `such for example as needles 2, 4 and 6 (Fig. 6)in such a way as to retain only one stitch or strand of yarn in the hookof the needle by drawing the' needle below the verge of the needlecylinderl the active needles I', 3 and 5 will continue to knit the num-5 ber of courses desired, and the yarn employed in knitting thecoursesonthe active needles floats over the inactive needles at thispoint. After completing a predetermined number of courses, while holdingthe needles 2, 4 and 6 out of acl0 tion, said inactive needles arebrought Aback into action again and the stitches previously held arecast off.

'I'he loops 2a, 4a and 6a as shown in Fig. 6 are then drawn downthrough'the loops 2b, 4b 15 and 6b which were formed by the inactiveneedles and do not include the idle runs or float stitches e in sectionE made by the active needles I, 3 and 5.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art 20 of knittingthat thefabric formed by this welt stitch E, is insured against raveling in thedirection of the arrow (Fig. 6), the effect of the loops 2b, 4b, and 6bbeing to bring the rst and last courses thereof together, bending thewelted fab- 25 ric outwardly so as to form a fiat roll or folded edge.

After knitting this portion of the welt indicated by E and F in Eig. 6,the machinethen changes to a-combination of jersey and float stitch, for30 example, as shown at G in the drawings, or if desired, thisparticular portion may also -be of any'other suitable form or type ofstitch. .All of this portion of fabric hereinabove described forms thecuff portion A ofthe mitten which is 0 followed by the hand and tipportions in a continuous automatic knitting operation.

As heretofore mentioned, the tip portion C is formed of a oat stitchwhich is produced automatically by knitting on one needle and 40floating the yarn behind the adjacent needle, in the case of one and oneoat stitch, or if a two and two oat stitch is desired, by knitting ontwo needles and floating the yarn behind the next two adjacent needles.'I'his tip portion may 45 be formed with various different types orcombinations of vfloat stitches designed to produce the results soughtby my invention, the fabric structure illustrated in Fig. 5 being merelyillustrative of one type of float stitch contemplated, namely, 50

one and one. In this figure, it will be noted that two separately fedyarns 'l and 8 are employed,

theyarn 1 being knit in alternate wales 'la and oated behind interveningwales 8a, andthe yarn 8 being knit in alternate wales 8a and oated 55behind intervening wales 1a. As before pointed out, this type of stitchem-- ployed in knitting the tip portion of a mitten tends to narrow downthe fabric at this point.

'I'he fabric at the tip portion may, however, be 60 further reduced ornarrowed by replacing one or more of the yarns employed in the body'portion B, with a ner count or smaller sized yarn which may Ialso beaccomplished automatically .as-will be apparent to those skilled in theart. 65 The tip portion C` thus formed is knit-to the, desired length,preferably about one inch, and later whenthe mitten blanks are removedfrom the machine and separated, the operator unravels a few courses orend rows at the free end of the 70 tip portion to provide well openloops. This un.- raveling *permits `the operator to gather the stitchestogether and close or Secure the same at the operation. Then by retiringout of action the extreme tip p rtion by passing a thread or yarnthrough the ll ps and drawing these stitches 75 together as shown inFigs.` 3 and 4, thus forming at the apex of the tip a neatly shaped andfinished tip portion.

My improved method of knitting enables an operator to knit a series ofgloves or mittens in a continuous blank on an open top single cylindercircular knitting machine, starting with the welt and cuff of one mittenand running to the body portion and tip thereof, after which theknitting continues to automatically form the welt and cuff of a secondmitten, and so on. Of course in the caseof a 'blank forming a series ofgloves, the

knitting would run directly from the body portion on one glove to thewelt and wrist portion of a 1 5 second glove, eliminating the narrowedtip.

During the formation of this continuous blank, the extremities of theindividual mittens or gloves are preferably indicated by knitting acourse of distinctive yarn or thread which, after the blank is removedfrom the machine, is cut and raveled or pulled out to separate theindividual mittens or gloves.

After this separation, the welt portion formed in the mannerhereinbefore described is further 25 finished by a simple hand operationwhich consists in slightly pulling together or shirring the loose end orends of the yarn of loops 2b, 417| and` 6b that are left when theblanksv are separated. These loose ends are then secured or fastened bypulling them through one or more of the stitches in the culi fabric.While this slight hand operation outlined above is not absolutelynecessary to the completion of the 'welt covered by my invention, itproduces a neater and more satisfactory 35 nished appearance.

In the case of a. glove, the fingers are added to the hand or bodyportion in a conventional manner, while in the case of a mitten whereinthe tip portion C is knit, the operator unravels 'a 40 few courses atthe free end of the tip and draws them together in the mannerhereinabove described.

It will thus be seen that my improved method of knitting gloves and/ormittens makes it pos- 45 sible to knit these articles in a continuousblank and produce automatically-a seamless tubular article havinga weltat the cuif end formed in an attractive and novel manner which is adecided improvement over methods heretofore employed. 50 Furthermore, mymethod produces a mitten or glove wherein the Welt portion has a maximumof elasticity and will not ravel. i Finally, it will be apparent that`my improved method of knitting the tip portion of a mitten 55 producesa narrowed tip neat in appearance which results'in a well iittingpractical mitten.

From the foregoing it is believed that my invention may be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art without further description, it

60 being understood that numerous changes may be made in the details ofoperation and construction Without departing from the spirit of myinthreads being knit into each course thereof, one of said threads beingknit into alternate wales and floated across intervening wales, and the.'other of said threads being knit into intervening 2. A seamless tubularknit mitten having a hand portionl and a ntip portion formedrespectively of different types of knitting,said tip portion being knitof two separate threads, both threads being knit into each coursethereof, at least one of said threads being knit into alternate Walesand floated across intervening wales, there being the same number ofwales in said hand' and tip portions, said floats causing circumferential contraction of said tip portion.

3. A seamless tubular knit mitten as' claimed in claim 2/ wherein one ofsaid threads forming the tip portion is of ner count than the other.

4. A seamless tubular knit mitten having a hand portion and a tipportion formed respectively of' different types of knitting, said tipportion being knit of two separate threads, both threads being knit intoeach course thereof, at least one of said threads being knit intopredetermined wales in the same course and floated across interveningwales ln said course, there being the same number of wales in said handand tip portions, said floats causing circumferential contraction ofsaid tip portion.

5. 'I'he method of automatically and continuously forming a seamlesstubular mitten, which consists in knitting in tubular form a wristportion, knitting an integral hand portion, and then knitting a tip-portion by knitting a plurality of courses of at least two separatethreads, knitting both threads into each course thereof, knittingatleast one of said threads into alternate wales and floatingthe sameacross intervening wales and maintaining the same number of wales insaid hand and tip portions, whereby said floats cause circumferentialcontraction of said tip portion.

.6. The method of automatically and continuously forming a seamlesstubular mitten, which y consists in knitting in tubular form a wristportion, knitting an integral handv portion, and then knitting a tipportion by' knitting a plurality of courses of at least two separatethreads knitting both threads into each course thereof, knittingfatleast one of said threads into predetermined Wales y in the same courseand floatingl the same across intervening wales in said course, andmaintaining the same number of .wales in said hand and tip portions,whereby said floats cause circumferential contraction of said tipportion.

'7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein one of the threads knitinto said tip portion is of finer count than the other.

8. A seamless tubular knit nutten having a hand portion and a tipportion formed respectively of different types of knitting, each coursein the tip portion having both a stitch and a iloat in every Wale, therebeing the same number of wales in said hand and tip portions, saidfloats causing circumferential contraction of said tip portion.

' f ALLISON C. MILLS.

